Nokia Lumia 525 Gets Official Specs and Promo Video

There has been a lot of buzz about Nokia's "low end" device follow up to the immensely popular Nokia Lumia 520, the Nokia Lumia 525. Rumored specs have been slowly leaking out and now finally Nokia has unveiled the official list of features. The one spec that most will notice is the full 1GB of RAM instead of the 512MB in the Lumia 520, which should translate to better performance. Specs and video after break:

Specs run down like this:

The one upgrade that didn't make it was a single LED flash while it is a "low end" device a single LED wouldn't break Nokia on this device. The Lumia 525 is expected to launch next month in select countries, but there's no word on pricing yet. Full specs can be read here.

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YouTube might launch a Music Pass streaming service to become an ad-free jukebox

YouTube is the web’s most popular destination for video content; it could soon become a big player for music streaming as well. It may sound crazy to think that Google, which owns YouTube, would launch a yet another music service instead of encouraging more people to listen to its Google Play Music All Access for Android and iOS, but evidence suggests the company is already planning to turn YouTube into a music player.

Android Police has examined code in the latest version of YouTube for Android and discovered that there are multiple references to Music Pass, offline playback, background listening, and keeping music playing while using other apps. All of this points to a music streaming service that would make YouTube able to continue playing audio even when a screen goes off or someone switches to another app. It also promises to have “No ads on millions of songs,” which suggests that it will be a premium service.

You might wonder why Google would bother with a music streaming service on YouTube when it already has Google Play Music. One clue is that Nielsen reveals that young people favor to listen to music through YouTube. Launching a paid service probably won’t attract many teens to participate, but if the service works and is cheap, or connected to Play Music, it might be a way to attract attention from users who are less likely to use Play Music. The code is just there for preliminary test purposes, so it may be a while before Google reveals its intentions with YouTube Music Pass.

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Google promises to fix Nexus 5 camera issues soon

The Google Nexus 5 is a great phone for its low price, bright screen, and advanced version of Android, but its camera is disappointing when compared to other smartphones. I did a Nexus 5 camera comparison against the Galaxy Note 3, Lumia 1520, and iPhone 5S to show how it's behind the top leaders. Google has since acknowledged that the Nexus 5 camera needs improvement, and it promises to offer a fix soon.

CNET has published a report stating how Google plans to improve Android smartphone by storing images in the higher quality RAW format. While discussing the plans for future enhancements for photos across the Android spectrum, Speaking about complaints regarding the Nexus 5’s camera performance, Google spokesperson Gina Scigliano says a more immediate fix will be applied to that device. Scigliano said, “The team is aware of the [camera] issues and is working on a software update that will be available shortly.”

The Nexus 5 has a decent camera but has areas needing improvement, including exposure and noise, and Google seems confident that it can fix those problems with a software update. One can only hope that the change arrives soon.

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Moto G arrives early in the US, on sale for $179 right now

The Moto G went on sale this month in Brazil and the UK. Despite previous statements that the low-cost quad-core phone wouldn’t arrive stateside until early next year, Motorola has started selling a version of the Moto G today. However, not everyone will be able to purchase the phone.

Motorola.com now lists an unlocked Moto G for sale, but the phone works only for the GSM model that works with the UMTS/HSPA+ networks of AT&T and T-Mobile. Moto G models compatible with Sprint and Verizon will arrive next year as scheduled. Customers on AT&T and T-Mobile can pay $179 (8GB) or $199 (16GB) now to get the phone early. Devices begin shipping December 2.

Check out these Moto G specs if you need a reminder about what the phone can do.

Blu Life Pro hands-on video shows the thinnest 5-inch smartphone with 5 MP front camera

Blu is a small company that’s making some noise because of its unlocked phones that kind of follow the Nexus model. No, it doesn’t have the latest Android software - it runs Android 4.2 - but it does try to deliver solid specs at a very low price. With the new Blu Life Pro, the company has an Android smartphone with a 5-inch display, quad-core processor, and a thin build. Check out the hands-on video from Blu showcasing the new phone after the break.

Though it has a big screen and a quad-core processor, that screen is only 720p instead of 1080p HD, and the quad-core processor is the weaker MediaTek model. The aim of the Blu Life Pro is to offer respectable hardware specs but still have a very low price at $299 unlocked and contract-free. The phone will go on sale at Amazon and distributors in the US, Brazil, and Latin America shortly.

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Apple may have bought PrimeSense for maps, not Kinect technology

Since Apple confirmed yesterday that it purchased PrimeSense, the company that developed sensor technology found in the original Xbox Kinect, people assumed that Apple plans to introduce gesture based technology into its iOS devices. A new theory suggests that the move may have actually been done to improve Apple Maps.

Apple has purchased several companies that offer different technologies as part of a long-term goal to increase the quality of its Apple Maps product. It's possible that the same goal may have sparked Apple's purchase of PrimeSense, according to former Wall Street Journal reporter Jessica Lessin. Lessin has spoken with sources who say that PrimeSense's technology is behind the curve, which might explain why Microsoft no longer uses it for Kinect. However, it might make sense for Maps. Lessin explains:

PrimeSense's technology is much more strategic for mapping, according to one person familiar with the company. In fact, companies like Matterport, which makes a camera for mapping three-dimensional spaces, use its chips... Sooner rather than later, our phones will pull up scans of real spaces we want to visit or may be approaching. Those two-dimensional maps will seem very  obsolete.

In simpler terms, PrimeSense might have the kind of technology that would make it possible to put a phone near a real-world object and recognize them or a location, something that could make Maps more useful.

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Google Play now shows tablet app section by default

It might sound crazy when you think about it, but Google Play hasn’t had its tablet section as the default view when someone goes into the Android app store. One would think that a tablet user looking for apps would prefer that Google show tablet-designed apps first, but that hasn’t been the case until a new changed enacted yesterday.

The Android Developers page notes that anyone who launches Google Play from a tablet, like the Google Nexus 7 or the Sony Xperia Tablet Z, will now see the “Designed for tablets” section as the main view. From there, they will be able to browse through the featured apps and games that have been made specifically to support larger screens appropriately. Many Android apps use “fragments” that allow apps to smartly adapt to different screen sizes and spread information across multiple panes. These apps will now get top billing in Google Play.

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Vodafone Wallet and SmartPass will bring phone-based NFC payments to Europe soon

Most of the news concerning pay with your phone initiatives has been for NFC solutions available only in the US, like Google Wallet and Isis, but mobile phone payments in Europe got a big boost today from one of the continent’s biggest operators.

Vodafone joined the wave of companies working to process NFC payments with the launch of its Vodafone Wallet and SmartPass service. Vodafone customers who download the app onto a compatible Android phone will be able to pay at any of the 1 million-plus Visa contactless payment terminals in Europe. SmartPass also supports loyalty cards for repeat customers, gift cards, and vouchers for discounts.

Vodafone Wallet and SmartPass first launches today in Spain. The payment system will next launch in Germany in December, and then the UK, Netherlands, and Italy next year. NFC-capable smartphones from Samsung, Sony, and HTC are required to use the system.

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Apple iPhone 5s now sold SIM-free in the US

The iPhone 5S launched with the option of purchasing the device without tying the device to any specific network, but that offer was made only to buyers outside of the US. Today, Apple has begun selling SIM-free iPhone 5S devices that should be operational across GSM networks.

The SIM-free iPhone 5s is sold unlocked without any contract requirements or locks to a specific network. The only such option previously was purchasing a T-Mobile device off contract with a T-Mobile SIM. Today’s option removes the need to use a SIM, so it should work on AT&T or T-Mobile immediately. It also does not require additional steps to unlock when traveling abroad.

Pricing for the phone has not changed, so interested buyers will pay $649 for a 16GB model, $749 for 32GB, and $849 for 64GB.

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GDR3 Rollout Begins for HTC 8X on Verizon

Very quickly on the heels of everyone finally getting the Windows Phone GDR2 update, Verizon has already started to push out the GDR3 update.  It's not for all Windows Phone customers on the network, but those with the HTC 8X will get the firmware update. 

What features can be expected to come in this firmware update?

While none of these changes are earth shattering, they are nice to have and should keep most users happy until the Windows Phone Blue update gets released at some point next year. There is no word on when other devices will receive this update.

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